Aside from Nestle instant Latte (embarassingly I am hooked!), there are other Norwegian influences that I wish we could bring back to the States with us. I'm not talking about the candy by the kilogram that's available in every grocery store and, delightfully, every gas station, but that's pretty good too. When I was at the community playground with Sam one morning, I had a chance to sit and look around the neighborhood a bit while he was playing. The majority of the houses here have porches or decks, and they all have little swings hanging down, or a set of rings. There are DIY ladders nailed to trees, huge nets to climb on, and even a ropes course behind one house. At first this didn't seem so unusual, but after spending some time here I noticed a difference. The kids were actually playing outside on this stuff. For a long time. Every day. Gradually it dawned on me what was so different: at home the houses have swing sets and playgrounds and all that good stuff too, but the kids aren't there very often. They are too busy with school, gymnastics class, 30 channels of cartoons, piano lessons, Little League, video games, piano practice, homework, and babysitting. They don't have copious amounts of free time; instead they have "free time." They are shuttled around and managed by harried parents who rely on McDonald's for a quick dinner (no time!). Here it's different. The school encourages play and exploration, and the kids have 3 recess periods a day, regardless of weather. There aren't options for drive-by dinners, so families slow down and eat together at home, and an occasional dinner at a restaurant is considered a treat. The TV offerings are very limited, maybe 10 channels, so kids don't have much interest in sticking around in front of the tube. Due to the fun income taxes the Norwegians pay, many mothers are able to stay home until their kids are 5 or 6 (with some help from the government), and even the Dads get home from work early by American standards. It took us a while to figure it out, but now we know exactly what it feels like: America, circa 1975.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
In a good way!
Aside from Nestle instant Latte (embarassingly I am hooked!), there are other Norwegian influences that I wish we could bring back to the States with us. I'm not talking about the candy by the kilogram that's available in every grocery store and, delightfully, every gas station, but that's pretty good too. When I was at the community playground with Sam one morning, I had a chance to sit and look around the neighborhood a bit while he was playing. The majority of the houses here have porches or decks, and they all have little swings hanging down, or a set of rings. There are DIY ladders nailed to trees, huge nets to climb on, and even a ropes course behind one house. At first this didn't seem so unusual, but after spending some time here I noticed a difference. The kids were actually playing outside on this stuff. For a long time. Every day. Gradually it dawned on me what was so different: at home the houses have swing sets and playgrounds and all that good stuff too, but the kids aren't there very often. They are too busy with school, gymnastics class, 30 channels of cartoons, piano lessons, Little League, video games, piano practice, homework, and babysitting. They don't have copious amounts of free time; instead they have "free time." They are shuttled around and managed by harried parents who rely on McDonald's for a quick dinner (no time!). Here it's different. The school encourages play and exploration, and the kids have 3 recess periods a day, regardless of weather. There aren't options for drive-by dinners, so families slow down and eat together at home, and an occasional dinner at a restaurant is considered a treat. The TV offerings are very limited, maybe 10 channels, so kids don't have much interest in sticking around in front of the tube. Due to the fun income taxes the Norwegians pay, many mothers are able to stay home until their kids are 5 or 6 (with some help from the government), and even the Dads get home from work early by American standards. It took us a while to figure it out, but now we know exactly what it feels like: America, circa 1975.
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